Nationals Leader David Little vows to focus on Tasmania

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says he has gained insight into the challenges that Tasmania’s agricultural industry faces following a trip to the state.

His visit included a roundtable with primary producers at the TasFarmers’ office at Longford and a tour of Ashgrove Dairy.

In an exclusive interview with Tasmanian Country, Mr Littleproud said he had identified several key issues facing the state’s agricultural sector during his trip.

“There are a few, mainly the cost of production and the continued increased costs,” he said.

“There are challenges in dealing with supermarkets, in particular, in being able to have a fair competition policy that gives producers not a fixed price but a fair price.

“Also, some of the equalisation programs in terms of freight were also raised, mainly around some of the inequalities in the evolution of that program, which is not making it as fit for purpose as it could be.”

Mr Littleproud said the Nationals have always been very strong on competition policy, citing it as a factor behind the party’s short-lived split with the Liberals in the aftermath of this year’s federal election loss.

“We left the Coalition until they agreed to our terms around divestiture powers that made sure there was a strong consequence for supermarkets dealing inappropriately with farmers and consumers.

“It also included the introduction of a supermarket commissioner who could be provided with confidential complaints that could be explored without fear of retribution.”

The Coalition has strayed from Labor’s plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050, instead launching its own energy policy.

“It still includes emissions reductions but won’t put trade at risk, particularly for agriculture,” Mr Littleproud said.

“It makes sure we’re adopting affordable energy while reducing emissions, rather than this all-renewables approach.

“There is concern around the sustainability and competitiveness of processing in Australia compared to other countries that aren’t doing as much to reduce emissions as Australia is.

“It’s making us as uncompetitive.”

A recent Senate Inquiry highlighted the shortcomings of the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme.

The Federal government has tasked a pair of independent reviewers to scrutinise the scheme, with a report due in the first half of next year.

“When you hear some of the inequities around the fact that a truck with a trailer can have a different charging rate than if it were sitting within a truck with the same tonnage, it is bizarre to me,” Mr Littleproud said.

“I think there are some inequalities when you see some commodities are charged at one rate compared to another, based on their market value, and some companies use it as an opportunity to gouge the system.

“That’s not in Australia’s or Tasmania’s interest, and I don’t think we should shy away from putting some sunlight on that program.”

The Nationals ran candidates in the recent Tasmanian election, but the party received only 1.62 per cent of the first preference vote.

Mr Littleproud said the sudden nature of the election was behind the poor result and was confident the Nationals could increase its appeal in Tasmania.

“It’s going to take time and persistence in coming back and listening, learning, understanding and being seen by people in Tasmania.

“The National Party is a very good fit for Tasmania and the reality is that we’ve got some hard work to undertake.

“That’s about us continually visiting the state – not just me, but a lot of our team- and making sure we continue to show respect to the people of Tasmania.

“There is an alternative to the big two parties, and you can have some assurance that the National Party is bringing commonsense to the Coalition and focus on the people of Tasmania.”